Avery Mephistopheles Stout

Brewed by Avery Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Boulder, Colorado USA

Batch #1. Consumed Fresh. The pour into my brandy snifter is pitch black with thin wisps of dark tan head. The aroma is rich with dark fruit and alcohol. The flavor is very rich and chocolatey. The flavor clings to the tongue and last for a long time. This beer is incredibly impressive. The alcohol is evident but integrated very well. Truely a masterpeice from Avery. 7/4/8/5/17

Batch #1, 3 years aged. This beer hasn’t changed much in 3 years. Reading my notes from the fresh bottle is almost an exact match for its current condition. Avery really showed their talent with this beer. Definitely something special. 7/4/8/5/18

Pours thick with a full brown head that lingers. Aroma is of prunes, molasses, and cocoa. mouthfeel is thick. It tastes sweet and fruity with a cocoa finish. The alcohol level is very apparent throughout. It warms you right up and keeps you satisfied!

12oz bottle January 06 Batch 1. Upon cracking of the cap a thick malty chocolate aroma comes forth. Poured into a McChouffe glass. A very dark brown color with a thick tan head created from some big bubbles. Nose begins with some chocolate, throughout the glass gains more of a wine characteristic, green grape skins galore, some raisins and bourbon also present. Towards the bottom of the glass, more alcohol is apparent but not in a bad way. The palate is full but fluffy. SLides over your tongue and down your throat coating your mouth with a filmy, skin like resin. A light chocolate springs forth followed by alot of grape sweetness and the final alcohol kick. Liught dates and bourbon frolic throughout coming in and out of the overall picture as it is swirled in the mouth. The tongue tingles a bit having beem stung almost and the mouth feels sticky, I can almost pull the grape vine out of my mouth and the skins from between my molars.

Had this right after Alesmith Speedway. (at brunch) Whoa. Pours thick and black like oil! This one gives you the chills a little. intense roasted malts, anise, chocolate and vanilla, alcohol. Its very port like in its sweetness.

Pours dark brown. Settles as black paint. Smallish topping of tanned foam. Doesn’t last long but sustains a thin cloud on top. Lacing is thin and thickly stringy. Aroma is hot and deep. Nosey with dark molasses tang and a breeze of chocolate. Otherwise its actually fairly understated and uncomplexing. Taste is mostly tangy and darkly deep. Molasses and portly so. Semi cloying, heated, and thick. Chocolate covered currants and plums stick the finish into a firm hold across the palate. Wow, does this stuff have some stick to it. Doesn’t want to let go. A nice effect to the overall as its diversity doesn’t supersede its complexity in flavor. An all or nothing portly tanged character of molasses and dark fruity malts. Some choclate is evident in a dark under score mixing with the fruity sided tang. Body is immensely thick and absolutely smooth with a very nice intregrated warmth of alcohol thats port-like and thickly set upon the backing of the tangy sweet malts. Finish is lengthy. And then some. Again, this stuff has a stick to it that works well with what it offers. Mephistopheles’ is not quite a deserving namesake in my book of evils. Although...the ABV is hellishly sneaky so perhaps I can see why. But as Milton put in Paradise Lost - "Long is the way, and hard, that out of Hell leads up to light." The light here is not seen through the beer, nor the taste, in most aspects, warmth being the exception, and hard it is to drink a bunch of this before seeing the light on in the bathroom, and hard is the way to have it come back up the way it came in. How’s that for a drunken stupor of religious type philosophy. Take that Milton!

I was very conflicted when it came to rating this beer, but I have decided to get up on my soap box. I do love Imp. Stouts, but this time they have just gone too far. When I think of what makes an excellent beer, I think of balance. This beer is insanity. It is like a cocktail fabricated partly by Turkish coffee and Everclear. I appreciate the drive for ever-bigger beers, but bigger isn’t always better. On the other hand, beers like this are important, if only to push the limits of one’s concept of beer. I, for one, will not be buying any more of this, so there will be plenty left for you maniacs.

Bottle from Batch 2. Amazing dark BLACK, cant even try to see through this one, super thick like oil tan again really thick head, nose is choc, some lactic and alcohol. Flavors are cherry pits, espresso, choc, and alcohol. The mouth feel is incredible super thick but not cloying. Definate alcohol burn. Really interesting beer!!! I would like to get another and age it to see if it mellows.

First beer, third round, in a 5 round, top-rated imperial stout blind tasting to be held over the next year. Four beers with similar characteristics will be sampled in each round. Beers in this round were cellared for about two years. Round 3 - Full body. 12 oz bottle, Batch 1. Dark brown with a thin tan coating and lace sheets on one side. Sweet coffee and molasses. Very sweet (too sweet?) mocha and whiskey. Finishes grassy with light drying. Medium body; touch of carb tang.